Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: E3 2014 predictions

GameCentral readers reveal what new games they hope will be announced at E3 next week, as well as what they actually think will happen instead.

The biggest trade show of the year starts on Monday, the one moment in the year for which companies save up all their most import announcements, especially Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. So for this weekend’s Inbox we wanted to know what you hope will be revealed… and what you expect actually will.

Both the educated guesses and fanciful wishes were largely as you’d expect, with Fallout 4 and Zelda Wii U both being particularly popular suggestions. But what was actually the most requested game was the same for all companies and formats: something new. Whether that’s what E3 will deliver it’ll only be a little longer now till we find out.

Expect the unexpected
The thing I want to see at E3 is the same every year: something new. I’m usually disappointed in the main, but this year I think both Microsoft and Sony have finally got the message that slightly better looking versions of games we’ve already been playing for decades is not going to get anyone excited by the next generation.

Hopefully GC’s predictions will come true and we’ll see two or three new IPs from each, with one being the absolute bare minimum as far as I’m concerned.

What Nintendo is planning I have no idea. If we’re super really lucky maybe we’ll get one IP and a bunch of eShop games that use familiar licences but for different kinds of games. And that’s me being optimistic. Really I just expect Zelda Again and Metroid Again.Crabby

Legendary countdown
Okay, so next Tuesday at 5pm we get to find out about Zelda on the Wii U, and I’m getting very excited now. It’s presently 4.30pm on Thursday, which means that we still have… oh, approximately 120 hours and 30 minutes to wait for this digital event thing to get underway.

I hope Nintendo really go for it with the production values this time. This is pretty much the first time since 2004 when they have a chance to give onlookers a real wow moment with the presentation. Yes, I want a big bells and whistles blockbuster HD Zelda adventure with a lush, open world to explore. It wouldn’t hurt if they made the game a bit harder as well. Fingers and toes crossed.Tingle’s Therapist
PS: I can already confirm that Tingle probably won’t be in the game because… well, let’s just say he’s had a bit of a relapse.

Resigned to disappointmentWell, I might as well go against the question like the ‘What new game IP I’d make with no licences and existing games to use’ from last week, and say most definitely Fallout 4 will be a complete no show for E3 2014.

This game is vast in budget, vast in scope, gameplay, graphical look, content, mission structure, voice-acting, etc. In fact 2015 is a push for this new gen console Fallout, due to some games recently having been pushed back to 2015 and they are nowhere near as big as Fallout 4 will inevitably be. The fact that some of these games have shown how long it now takes to design for a new current gen console makes me think Fallout 4 is a possible 2016 release easily.

Mad Max! Well it will be nice to see some new gameplay and maybe GC could have a game-test of it, as I am rather sceptical as to the quality of this game and I feel a 4 to 5 out of 10 score already, if that. It would make for an awesome concept if it works, driving and on foot exploring, but we need more info as to the exact nature of the game and how it would excite you, as this would have to be like Fallout and Borderlands combined to excite me.

Enjoy the event GC.Alucard

GC: You’re making up scores based on a game nobody has played, and yet is by a perfectly well respected developer?

Tell me what you want
I really (really, really) want The Last Guardian on the PlayStation 3. My kids loved helping me work through Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus.

I’m a couple of years away from upgrading to eighth gen, so I’d also like, as unlikely as it is, another PlayStation 3 Uncharted.Daddypig42 (PSN ID)

Make or break
After last year’s E3 I said that it was this year’s show that would be all-important. With all the hardcore early adopters having already bought their new console of choice and the thrill of the new starting to wane, I think the show has become even more significant. Personally I think the new generation has gone quite well so far, all things considered, but there is an air of disappointment around it. A sort of ‘Is this it?’ attitude.

And it’s this that everyone at E3 needs to address. The casual gamers that any console needs to attract these days in order to be successful expect games that they can’t get on their phones. Given the costs, the time need to make them and the risks involved it’s not as simple as saying here’s a dozen AAA titles that we’ll have out in the next six months. E3 is the one show that attracts mainstream/crossover media attention and it needs to be about getting people excited for the future again.

And it’s Microsoft that need that most of all. Things must be even worse than we thought if they’ve dropped Kinect. It might have been a millstone around the Xbone’s neck but at least it was something different. Now there’s nothing to separate an Xbone other than still being less powerful than it’s rival. Microsoft need exclusives that Sony can’t match (not just exclusive downloadable content) badly.

Fortunately their big titles are still popular in America. Ready or not they need to make big deals of Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. On top of that they need to throw their weight behind Quantum Break and Sunset Overdrive as something different and coming soon. More than that, though, they need to show that they’ve caught up with Sony in terms of indie titles.

Having enough indies to see you through the dry spells will be all important going forwards. Sony have weathered a lack of big games by having games like Resogun and Transistor to fill in. Microsoft got it totally wrong in regards to the indies so I would expect to see several smaller exclusives from them. I also expect Microsoft to win E3. If they don’t, then they’re in real trouble.

As far as Sony goes it just needs to be more of the same. New entries in their core franchises such as LittleBigPlanet and Uncharted and hopefully some new IP from their internal studios (Santa Monica and Media Molecule have been quiet recently) must be the priority. Backed up by the likes of Rime and The Witness and the other big indies they have secured should be enough for Sony.

Mario Kart 8 has done wonders for the Wii U. Alright it’s still in trouble but it’s been given the shot in the arm it needs. Nintendo have to capitalise on this. Show off Bayonetta 2, X (or whatever it ends up being called), Super Smash Bros. and the new Zelda. Nintendo has the best line-up, they just need to be more bullish and advertise more. Half a dozen new games for the 3DS wouldn’t go amiss either.

I’m optimistic that this E3 will be the best in years. All the major players have a point to prove or momentum to keep up. All things considered it should make it an interesting show at the very least.andy_b720 (PSN ID)

Dream reveals
Having recently bought a Wii U in favour of a PlayStation 4 or Xbone (a choice that has already paid for itself in fun!) I will be interested to see what Nintendo have to say and if there is any more third party support coming. If dreams were to come true however, then the following would be announced:

1. BioWare announce that they haven’t been working on Mass Effect 4, they have actually been working on a proper ending to Mass Effect 3 that will be free of charge and released immediately.
2. Visceral announce Dead Space: Dallas, where the opening scene is Isaac stepping out of the shower shortly after the end of Dead Space 2, only to be attacked by a necromorph and effectively setting the scene that (Call Of) Dead Space 3 never happened. Proper survival horror would then ensue.
3. Level-5 announce it’s not the end and that they will be making a further trilogy of Professor Layton games for the 3DS.
4. Someone announces that they have bought the rights to the Commander Keen series and will be remaking it for the 3DS.
5. EA announce that they will release HD versions of Need For Speed Underground 1 and 2. (Because that’s better than cutting and pasting old Burnout titles and slapping a Need For Speed sticker on it).RussHP

New new games
With E3 just around the corner, there are a few things I hope to see revealed at E3 in the next few days. From the missing in action for many years, The Last Guardian and Agent, to the long-rumoured Fallout 4, and recently announced Far Cry 4. I’d really like to see a barrow-load of brand new franchises from all three console makers, as all the home consoles are in dire need of fresh games that aren’t just upgrades to the previous generations big hitters.

The Last Guardian has been in development hell for the best part of 10 years, and with recent leaks suggesting the game may just be about to be unleashed at long last, I have high hopes that Sony will show a new trailer, and give journalists some hands on time with the game. I would like to see the title get released towards the end of this year, and I hope that it has been repurposed and upgraded for the PlayStation 4, as the console needs some new games, after all the high profile delays to big name titles recently.

Agent is another game that vanished off the face of the earth after it was announced way back in 2009, and I really hope that Rockstar have at least a trailer to show off at E3. The 1970s Cold War setting, and the promise of James Bond style spy shenanigans is a mouthwatering prospect with Rockstar at the helm. Speaking of Rockstar, I’d also like to see them announce Red Dead Redemption 2 or a sequel to Bully, as I enjoyed the original games immensely.

I loved Fallout 3 on the PlayStation 3, and spent years exploring the Wasteland and going on epic quests, and I can’t wait to see what Bethesda can do with the extra power of the PlayStation 4 and Xbone with Fallout 4. Hopefully the next gen consoles will allow more expressive and believable characters, and a huge rich landscape to explore, minus the technical problems that were encountered on the outgoing generation.

Far Cry 4 is another game I look forward to seeing in action. Far Cry 3 was my favourite shooter in recent years, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbone should see the game (literally) hit new heights in the Himalayas.

Most importantly of all I’d like to see some brand new franchises being announced by all three console makers. Nintendo in particular haven’t created a new franchise since Pikmin way back at the beginning of the millennium, and I’d love to see them produce something new from their highly talented studios.

With regards to Sony I’d like to see Santa Monica Studio, Media Molecule and Naughty Dog create something fresh, rather than new entries in the God Of War, LittleBigPlanet and The Last Of Us series.

I’d say the same thing about Microsoft’s studios, who really need to get away from their shooter-centric offerings of the past. I think we’ve seen enough Halos and Gears Of Wars over the last few years. Rockstar did the right thing with the Grand Theft Auto series and took their time with GTA V, and we all saw how that turned out. So instead of yearly updates, let the big franchises gestate for a little while longer, and give us something fresh.

After Sony gave Microsoft a whipping at last year’s E3 I think Microsoft will come out fighting this year and Sony will need to up their game accordingly. Nintendo seem to be taking a back seat at E3, which is disappointing, but I do still hope they have a lot of big announcements to make. It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next week, and I’m looking forward to digesting the big stories as they break.Cubes (PSN ID)/Cubes73 (NN ID/Steam ID)/Kevin M